England's squad for the 1950 World
Cup contained 21 players. On 9 May,
two squads (A and B) of 14 players each were
announced for two separate tours. Of the 28 names, the following twelve did not
make it to the final World Cup squad, announced 23 May: Bill Jones, Liverpool; Dicky Robinson,
Middlesbrough; Redfern Froggatt, Sheffield Wednesday; Ray Middleton,
Chesterfield; John Crosland, Blackpool; Jimmy Payne, Liverpool; Reg Lewis,
Arsenal (a replacement for Len Shackleton, withdrawn by Sunderland, four days
earlier); Jesse Pye, Wolverhampton Wanderers; Bobby Langton, Bolton Wanderers;
Jackie Wright, Blackpool; Phil Taylor, Liverpool; and Eddie Quigley, Preston
North End.

The five remaining members of the
final squad, who were not named in the above A and B squads were Henry Cockburn,
Ted Ditchburn, Laurie Hughes, Stan Matthews and Jim Taylor, who were all touring
elsewhere, with the exception of Hughes, who had to withdraw from the A squad,
because of injury, although later restored.

Captain Billy
Wright took the microphone as confident England, hailed in the Brazilian
press as "the kings of football," arrived for their first World Cup
final tournament. They had never before played competitive
football outside the British Championship, and they failed their first
foreign test. A shocking loss to the U.S.A. sent them home early.